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Guidelines say more play in after school care

SHANE MCLEOD: Children who use after school care will spend more time playing and less time in front of the TV under new national guidelines.

The framework is part of a push by the Federal Government to shift the focus of outside school care programs onto physical activity and social development.

The scheme has received a mixed response from parents with some questioning the need for the Government to get involved.

Liv Casben reports.

LIV CASBEN: For some of the children being dropped off at this Sydney public school this morning they will spend up to five hours in after school care.

It's a facility that many parents here are very happy with.

PARENT 1: This centre did a really good job of managing outside activities and inside activities and encouraged the kids to do really active things outside.

LIV CASBEN: But the Minister for Early Childhood Education and Child Care Kate Ellis wants children spending time in out of school care to spend more time playing.

The minister this morning announced the country's first learning framework for outside school hours care programs.

It has prompted a mixed response from these parents.

PARENT 2: I don't think they can have too much to be honest because you know if they are really tired they will just sit down and stop basically. But no I don't think they do enough. I think these days kids in front of the computer so much and there are so many other things that they can be distracted by that yeah, the more you have for them organised the better.

PARENT 3: For some people sure, I guess, you have to legislate for idiots. But you know it's a no-brainer. Of course children need to run around outside.

LIV CASBEN: The chairperson of the National Out of School Hours Association Robyn Monro Miller has welcomed the announcement.

ROBYN MONRO MILLER: It is to ensure that we actually have a level of quality and that all children who are attending these out of school hour services are actually having a meaningful leisure time and that there is actually things happening that are based on what the children's needs and interests are.

LIV CASBEN: Robyn Monro Miller says children and families will see the benefits.

ROBYN MONRO MILLER: The framework isn't going to be an instruction manual. It really is basically principles and practices that will be reflected in service provision such as things about relationships, about the types of activities that might be conducted. But it will all be contextualised depending on the community in which it happens.

LIV CASBEN: And she says some centres are still not following best practice.

ROBYN MONRO MILLER: When children are just basically put into a room and watching television all afternoon. I mean those sorts of things, I mean they are extreme examples but we are saying that that is not necessarily in the best interests of children.

Staff need to be interacting with children. Children need to have opportunities to play freely but also to when they are having difficulty with friendships they have got caring adults there who are role models to assist them to form friendships and to participate in different activities according to what the needs and interests of the children are who are attending that service.

And that's why the framework whilst it gives principles, it is not going to be prescriptive about what you have to do. It is about what by doing a particular activity you are going to achieve for that child.

LIV CASBEN: But the framework has attracted its critics.

The Opposition spokeswoman for childcare Sharman Stone says she's concerned the national framework will impose more guidelines on an already stretched system, while out of hours school care centre owner Sevette Elgin has told ABC local radio they might not go far enough.

SEVETTE ELGIN: Centres who don't provide sports and outside play for children as much as others do are going to have to comply with these regulations.

I think it's a fantastic opportunity for them to change the way they do things. I know that in my two centres we provide 50 minutes of outside play every single day, sometimes even more.

But I think the Australian Government shouldn't expect that just because a new regulation is introduced that it will be effectively implemented. I think the Government needs to provide services with resources or training opportunities.

Most of the staff in our industry, they haven't had training in sports or outside play and they do often find it difficult to obtain this training. They often find you know that they don't know what to do. They may have the resources, you know they might have the sports equipment but thinking of activities and games to play with the kids is often difficult.

LIV CASBEN: But Robyn Monro Miller disagrees.

ROBYN MONRO MILLER: The framework isn't going to actually mean that you need additional resources. The framework will once again as I said articulate the vision that we are already following. There is already training available. There is already information out there.

SHANE MCLEOD: Robyn Monro Miller from the National Out of School Hours Service Association ending that report from Liv Casben.